Homicide Investigation Essay Example for Free

Homicide investigating EssayMore work goes into a homicide investigation than what the media alludes to. Television shows like Law and Order, and CSI show an all over glorified series of basic investigations as well as highly dramatic interrogation in which each homicide case is solved indoors a one-hour episode. In reality, a homicide investigation is 20 measure to a greater extent complex than what is aired on prime term television. Cases displace take years to solve, and a large number remain open indefinitely.From start to finish, a homicide investigation bulges when the first responder arrives on the scene, and ends when the perpetrator is placed behind bars. The goals of an investigation are to see if the last of a person was caused by a criminal act of another individual, as well as determining the person obligated for causing the termination. The earlier an investigator arrives on the scene of the crime, the more likely the case is to be solved. Medically, od dment is determined by the cessation of three vital functions heartbeat, respiration and brain activity. (Hess and Orthmann ) Normally, the first sign of death is when the person has stopped breathing. If a person dies shortly before, or in the presence of an officer, the officer should everlastingly try to revive the dupe. The persons pulse should be checked for after breathing has ceased since certain(prenominal) drug over doses cause extremely shallow breathing, and derriere give the allusion that a person is deceased. The both most important pieces of physical evidence in a homicide investigation are the murder limb and the victims automobile trunk.Videotaping, photographing, and sketching the crime scene, as well as taking notes are crucial actions in an investigation as well. The evidence that is ensnare must be properly handled and packaged. Physical evidence can be found in an abundance of different places, such as on the victim, on the suspect, or at the scene of th e crime. If the victim is still living, and brought to the hospital, the hospital then becomes a separate crime scene. Discovering the body of the victim, as well as identifying it can help the police tremendously. In some cases, the body of the victim is not found.The perpetrator could have performed any number of disposal techniques such as, dissolving the body in a vat of acid, cutting up the body, burying the body, or burning the body. In cases where the body is bury under ground, the police can use a few different technologies in order to localise it. Magnetometers, metal detectors, ground-penetrating radar, and infrared thermography are the newest technological advances in the police arsenal. Also, cadaver dogs are highly effective since they are specially trained to locate a body by identifying the scent of decomposing human flesh. one time the body has been located, police must identify it.Multiple identification of the deceased victim made by family, friends, or co-work ers is ideal since human error is much more likely when under stress. If the victim is deface beyond recognition, police examine fingerprints or DNA, which are the two most reliable forms of identification. Fingerprints do not always have available matches in the IAFIS, which is a national fingerprint and criminal history frame that responds to requests 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help our local, state, and federal partnersand our own investigatorssolve and thwart crime and catch criminals and terrorists. (FBI. gov) DNA analysis allows investigators to rule out that the victim is not a peculiar(prenominal) person in the event that fingerprints cannot be matched. Investigators must estimate the time of death, or unaccompanied, of a victim in order to acquire an accurate time frame in which the homicide occurred. This estimation is important since it could leaven that the suspect could have been at the scene during the estimated time frame, as well as to the victims family for Social Security, and insurance purposes.The post mortem interval (PMI) is the time between when the victims death, and when the corpse was discovered. perceptiveness the processes that occur in a body during the PMI can help investigators estimate a time of death. thither are many methods in which forensic scientists can estimate the TOD, but none of them are bait proof.As a result, pathologist can usually find a good estimation of the victims TOD within a few hours of the actual event. When a person first dies, their body stays hinderance until Rigor Mortis sets in nywhere from ten minutes to several hours afterwards, depending on environmental conditions. Rigor Mortis (Latin for stiffness of death) causes the joints of the body to stiffen as a result of partial contraction in skeletal muscles. The small muscles, like those found in the face, are usually affected first. Maximum rigor is normally reached within 12 to 24 hours, and can keep the body rigid for around three d ays until the muscles begin to decompose. In some cases, usually when the victim is holding something at the TOD, the victims hand lead tightly close around the object.This is called a cadaveric spasm, and while associated with rigor mortis, the condition is only found in specific muscle groups instead of the entire body. A cadaveric spasm can sometimes help investigators determine if the death was a result of a suicide or a homicide. If a victim is found with a gun in his hand, and the gunshot wound was not inflicted from his own weapon, it is more likely he was trying to defend himself against an armed assailant. Knowing if a person is alive or dead is a very important part of the first responding officers job.If the victim is articulate dead, investigators must find the murder weapon in order to have solid proof that they were killed by someone else. If a body is discovered after a homicide has been committed, investigators must identify it, and determine the time of death, whi ch can be estimated by looking at a number of signs. With all of this work for investigators to do, how can one homicide case be completely solved within a one hour time slot on television?